20 Football Tips You Need to Learn Now

You can always work on your football skills. Whether you’ve been playing all your life or it’s something you’ve recently taken up, you can keep improving your skills in a variety of ways. There are things that you can practise alone or that you can try out in pairs or as a team. Take a look at these tips that you can start learning now. Get your football equipment from Pendle Sports to get everything you need to work on your skills.

Passing with both feet

Being able to pass accurately is one of the most basic skills that you need to learn as a football player. You should be able to pass to another player with either foot.

Receiving a pass

Of course, as well as being able to pass to someone else, you need to be able to receive a pass. Practise with someone else to get more familiar with receiving passes.

Combining power and accuracy

You might be able to kick the ball really hard, but can you maintain accuracy at the same time? You need to power behind the ball and send it to the right place.

Keeping the ball under control while running

You should be able to control the ball while running at speed. Ideally, you should manage at least 60% of your top sprinting speed while controlling the ball.

Dribbling

Being able to run with the ball in a zig-zag pattern, as you would when going in and out of a line of cones, is another skill that footballers need to have.

Move the ball with the sole of your foot

Being able to manipulate the ball with the sole of your foot can also come in handy. It’s an especially important skill to have if you’re playing 5-a-side football.

Quickly changing directions with the ball

You should be able to quickly change directions when you have the ball, and make sure that it comes with you. It’s important for lots of moves.

Stopping with the ball

Sometimes, you might need to stop suddenly when you have control of the ball. You obviously don’t want to lose the ball, so make sure you know how to keep it.

Feinting

A dummy or feint pass or shot is an important skill to add to your collection. Learning to trick your opponent gives you time and space to keep moving and keep the ball.

Two-touch dribble

A two-touch dribble is when you quickly switch the ball from one foot to the other. This helps you to unbalance defenders and move past them, especially in 5-a-side.

Drag-back

A drag back allows you to quickly change direction when you’re moving with the ball. You can use your foot to drag the ball back while running or standing still.

Heading

Everyone wants to be good at headers. Sometimes it’s just a necessity when you’re playing, so be ready to receive a ball that’s flying towards you.

Tackling

Knowing how to tackle is essential if you want to be a defender. You need to be able to tackle if you want to present a challenge to your opponents.

Communicating

You need to be able to communicate with your team on the field if you want to work well with them. It’s essential that you can understand each other while playing.

Shooting

Of course, if you want to score goals, you need to be able to shoot. You need accuracy to send the ball where you want it to go, and you need to think ahead.

Goalkeeping

Being in goal might not be your favourite but small teams often have to mix things up. Some essential goalkeeping skills are important.

Volleys

A volley involves striking the ball when it’s in the air, without having prior control of it on the ground. It can be a great skill to gain control earlier.

Tactics

Learning tactical game play isn’t something you can do in only a few sessions. It takes time to settle into playing the game and start playing tactically.

Trapping

Trapping is any time that you stop the ball, whether it’s with your foot or another body part. Practising the different ways to do it is crucial if you want to be a good player.

Attitude

It might not exactly be a soccer skill, but having the right attitude when you’re playing is essential. If children’s team can do it, you can too.